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The Slaughter In Gaza: Live Updates

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By on International Affairs

This story features ongoing updates of breaking news on the genocide ongoing slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza by Israel.

For story suggestions and comments, you can email the editor direct here.

Israeli Teen jailed For Refusing To Join IDF’s Gaza Slaughter Speaks Out

TEL AVIV | January 21, 2024

Israeli teenager, Tal Mitnick – jailed for 30 days for refusing to report for mandatory military service required of most Israeli’s when they reach 18 – has spoken out again, after being released from jail.

Talnick sopke to Guardian columnist Owen Jones (above), and also to Democracy Now!:

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to continue the assault on Gaza, we speak with the first Israeli to refuse mandatory military service since Israel’s offensive began over three months ago. Last month, 18-year-old Tal Mitnick announced he would refuse military service in what he called a “revenge war” on Gaza, and was sentenced to 30 days in a military prison. Just released from jail, Mitnick faces another draft summons and says he will refuse “over and over until someone gives up, until the army gives me an exemption.” Mitnick says the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel broke the idea Israel could live with occupation. “We need to keep fighting for a just future,” he says, urging the younger generation of Israelis to use their voices for peace. “We’re the future, and we can change.”

Fourth Missile Strike On Houthis: US, With Australia’s Help, Takes Another Step Closer To All Out War

YEMEN | January 18, 2024

The United States has attacked Houthi-controlled sites in Yemen for the fourth time, as tensions over Israel’s slaughter in Gaza continue to mount.

Associated Press reported shortly before midday:

The U.S. military fired another wave of ship- and submarine-launch missile strikes against Houthi-controlled sites Wednesday, US officials said, marking the fourth time in days it has directly targeted the group in Yemen as violence that ignited in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war continues to spill over in the Middle East.

The strikes followed the official announcement that the U.S. has put the Houthis back on its list of specially designated global terrorists. The sanctions that come with the formal designation are meant to sever violent extremist groups from their sources of financing.

The Houthis have been targetting shipping in the Red Sea that is headed to Israel, in protest at the Israeli assault on gaza which has claimed at least 30,00 lives in three months, most of them women and children.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles confirmed last week Australia had assisted and supported the US and the United Kingdom in the ongoing assaults.

Cry Me a River… While You Spare A Thought For The Spin Doctors In This Conflict

WASHINGTON, US | January 16, 2024

By Chris Graham

Imagine, for a moment, being a spin doctor for the Biden Administration, and being expected to stand before a press pack and lie and/or obfuscate about the slaughter of tens of thousands of brown people on the other side of the world.

Well, that’s what deputy press secretary for the Biden administration, Vedant Patel did late last week, after he was asked by a journalist why US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken responded to the unfolding genocide being perpetrated by Israel in Gaza by attacking China.

We’re posting it her so that in a few years time, Patel’s children and grandchildren can ‘see what Daddy did’, while Gazans were being slaughtered, en-masse.

Looking Back: Don’t Forget The Slaughter On October 7.

ISRAEL | January 14, 2024

By Chris Graham

One of the challenges with reporting about (and reading about) slaughters like that unfolding in Gaza, is the risk of becoming so hardened and affected by the lop-sided nature of the conflict, that you become immune to the suffering of ‘the other side’.

While it should be abundantly clear to any impassive observer (if that’s possible) that Israel is committing genocide, and must be stopped, it’s also important not to lose sight of the suffering experienced by some Israeli residents.

With that in mind, the video above is worth watching, and re-watching, to remind yourself that while the video above could never justify Israel’s response, the victims of war and brutal oppression never come from just from one side of fence, and they’re never just adults and combatants.

Israel ‘Did What It Needed To Do In The Hague’, Says Internal Law Expert

THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS | January 14, 2024

If you’re interested in delving deeper into the ‘legal weeds’ of South Africa’s case against Israel in the International Court of Justice, this segment from Al Jazeera provides some interesting perspectives.

There doesn’t seem to be much debate about whether or not Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, rather whether or not procedurally how much of it it can get away with.

The comments from Michael Becker, an expert in human rights law from Trinity College in Dublin, starting at 8:13 are particularly interesting. He notes that despite the perceived weakness of the substance of Israel’s arguments, they tended to focus heavily on procedure, which is important, and appeared to be also aiming not so much to prevent provisional measures being imposed by the ICJ, but rather to at least affect what those procedural measures might be… i.e. not a complete halt of the slaughter.

The comments from Associate Professor Cathleen Powell at 11:10 are also worth noting: She acknowledges that Israel had, on occasion, a quite compelling argument about jurisdiction, although it’s possible it may not be factual.

Netanyahu Doubles Down, Attacks The Hague Before Genocide Decision Even Made

ISRAEL | January 14, 2024

Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu during a speech to mark 100 days since October 7.

By Chris Graham

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to believe South Africa has already proved in The Hague that Israel has perpetrated genocide against the Palestinian people, if a speech he gave overnight to mark 100 days of the ‘war’ is anything to go by.

Either that, or it’s just next level arrogance mixed with a little bit of stupidity, because the 15 Justices of the International Court of Justice are only a couple of days into deliberations that may take up to two weeks.

In any case, Netanyahu took aim, and did what he does best – played the victim card, while his army continues to slaughter innocent men, women and children in Gaza.

“Today, we mark 100 days of the war, 100 days since the terrible day on which our citizens were massacred and taken hostage. We are continuing the war until the end – until total victory, until we achieve all of our goals: Eliminating Hamas, returning all of our hostages and ensuring that Gaza will never again constitute a threat to Israel.
We will restore security to both the south and the north. Nobody will stop us – not The Hague, not the axis of evil and not anybody else. The hypocritical onslaught at The Hague against the state of the Jews that arose from the ashes of the Holocaust, at the behest of those who came to perpetrate another Holocaust against the Jews – is a moral low point in the history of nations.
In the murder tunnels of Gaza, our forces have found copies of Hitler’s Mein Kampf. In a home in Gaza, they found a child’s tablet with a picture of Hitler as the screensaver. Not for nothing did German Chancellor Scholz, after viewing the atrocities of the October 7 massacre, say: ‘Hamas are the new Nazis.’
Yesterday, I spoke with Chancellor Scholz and I thanked him for Germany’s willingness to send a delegation to The Hague to help refute this despicable lie. But see the depth of the absurdity and the hypocrisy: Supporters of the new Nazis dare to accuse us of genocide. Who do they support? Murderers, rapists, those who decapitate and those who burn babies?! What brazen gall. What a disgrace.
The State of Israel, the IDF and our security services are fighting a moral and just war that is without parallel, against the Hamas monsters, the new Nazis. This international campaign of denigration will not weaken either our hand or our determination to fight until the end, because something has changed in the history of our people.
The antisemitism is the same antisemitism but the status of the Jewish people has fundamentally changed. Because today we have a state. Today we have defense forces and heroic soldiers to protect our people. What happened on October 7 will not happen again. This is our mission. This is our obligation.
Tomorrow we will submit a budget that will ensure the continuation of the war: More money – a lot more – for security. More compensation and grants for reservists, families, the self-employed and for all who are bearing the burden. More assistance to return evacuees to their homes and for rebuilding the communities and the kibbutzim.
Citizens of Israel, we are on the path to victory. We will not stop until we achieve victory. I know that there are those who doubt this – I am not among them. I hear your call and know that you, citizens of Israel, are not among them either. We are doing this together to the end. I believe in our people, in our soldiers and commanders, and I believe that after the massacre of October 7, we will not compromise on anything less than total victory.
I say this, on your behalf, to every world leader who I speak with – we will not compromise and we will not stop. We are continuing until victory; we have no other choice.
I have heard commentators in studios who explain ‘This is not possible. This is not necessary.’ Then I – and you also – say: It is possible, it is necessary and we will do it.
In recent weeks, we have proven to Hamas and Hezbollah that every terrorist is a dead man, wherever they are. We are continuing to eliminate many terrorists and we are doing so in two ways: In forceful military activity in which most Hamas battalions have been eliminated and clearing actions to eliminate additional terrorists left in the field, above and below ground. These actions take time.
Several days ago, I met with Secretary of State Blinken. I thanked him for the American assistance and I emphasized to him: We embarked on this war after we were massacred. We are not stopping. We are continuing until we eliminate Hamas and return our hostages. I told him something else: This is not just our war – it is also your war. This is the war of the sons of light against the sons of darkness.
This is a war against the axis of evil led by Iran and its three proxies: Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis.
And I added – I do not forget, not even for a moment, that in addition to the war in Gaza, in addition to the return of our hostages and the return of the residents to their homes in both the north and the south, we have another, constant, existential mission – to prevent Iran from attaining nuclear weapons.
This is my mission. This is our mission. I told Secretary of State Blinken: ‘This needs to be your highest mission too.’
Citizens of Israel, we are at a national moment of truth. We are fighting not only to restore our security now, we are fighting to ensure our security for generations. This war is exacting a heavy price from us. Last week we lost Lt.-Col. Roi Yosef Mordechai, a Nahal Brigade commander who volunteered to fight in Gaza. Roi survived the terrorist attack on the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva in Jerusalem 16 years ago in which eight of his friends were murdered. He left behind his wife Neta and infant daughter Ori. Ori did not manage to know her father, his spirit of voluntarism, his courage and the Zionism that pulsed within him.
Roi’s father, Eli, eulogized him: ‘It is said that the Holy One, blessed be He, takes the very best. But he does not take – they give.’ The sacrifice of Roi and our heroic soldiers who have fallen amidst boundless courage are a fresh and painful testimony to the heavy price that we all – as a state and as a people – are paying in order to live free in our land and return our hostages. I embrace my brothers and sisters from the bereaved families. Our heroic loved ones have paid the heaviest price in falling in defense of the homeland.
I embrace the families of the hostages, with whom I and my wife meet all the time. These are personal, heart-rending meetings. We embrace them and listen to them. We look at the photos of their loved ones – our loved ones. I gave them a clear promise and I repeat it today: I will not give up on anyone. We are obligated to returning them all home.
I embrace the wounded who have shown utmost heroism in the face of their war injuries. Every one of our fighters and commanders are true heroes who have given their souls to restore security to our country and return the residents to their homes – and so it will be.
As is written in this week’s Haftarah: ‘then shall they dwell in their own land which I gave to My servant Jacob; and they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards.’ [Ezekiel 28:25-26].
Together we will fight, and with G-d’s help – together we will win.”

Biden Jumps The Shark: ‘Missile Strikes On Houthis Intended to Prevent Escalation’, Claims White House

YEMEN | January 13, 2024

The crisis in the Middle East – led by Israel’s ongoing slaughter in Gaza – continiues to grow, with US and UK-led aerial strikes on multiple targets inside Yemen, a small country at the bottom of the Arabian peninsula.

The attacks reportedly focussed on bases held by the Houthis, a Shia Muslim-based Yemeni separatist group (Yemen is majority Sunni Muslim). In response, the Houthis have promised the US will “pay dearly” for its actions.

The New York Times reports:

A White House spokesman denied on Friday that the American-led military strikes on Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen were intended to ignite a wider regional war, even as Houthi leaders and their allies vowed to respond. 

“We’re not interested in a war with Yemen,” said the spokesman, John F. Kirby. “We’re not interested in a conflict of any kind. In fact everything the president has been doing has been trying to prevent any escalation of conflict, including the strikes last night.”

Australia has reportedly been involved in the US-UK strikes, providing logistical and intelligence support.

The Houthis have recently escalated attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, claiming that the targetting of ships headed to Israel is in support of Palestinians in Gaza. In truth, the attacks have been more random than simply targetting Israeli shipping.

The United Nations recently passed a vote calling for an end to the assaults.

Landmark Hearing Into South Africa’s Charge Of Genocide Against Israel Commences In ICJ Shortly

THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS | JANUARY 11, 2024

South Africa’s allegation of genocide against Israel over its ongoing assault on Gaza, will commence in the International Court of Justice in The Hague this evening.

The hearing will be staged over two days – January 11 and 12 – and is scheduled to begin at 10am (8pm AEDT). You can watch proceedings live here, via New Matilda. If you have problems with our link, watch live at The Hague here.

Ed’s note: The embed code from the ICJ appears to have broken our code on this post. Content will be restored asap.

Israeli Politician Targeted For Removal After Supporting Calls For Investigation Into Genocide

ISRAEL | JANUARY 8, 2024

Israeli democracy continues to crumble under the weight of the nation’s response to the October 7 attacks by Hamas. In the latest development, moves are underway to remove Ofer Cassif, an Arab-Jewish politician with the Hadash-Ta’al party, from the Knesset (Israeli parliament), after he signed a petition organised by South Africa petition.

Mr Cassif was accused of “treason” by other Israeli politicians. Cassif explained his reasoning to one of the more moderate Israeli newspapers, Harretz, saying, his constitutional duty was to Israeli society, not to the government who calls for “ethnic cleansing and even actual genocide”.

The video above is a 25 minute interview with Guardian columnist Owen Jones. You can follow Jones’ Youtube account – which has a significant amount of content related to Israel’s ongoing assault on Palestinians, here.

Israeli Soldier Thinks Better Of Attacking Ambulance After Realizing He’s Being Filmed

JERUSALEM | December 18, 2023

Sometimes, Israeli soldiers are very open about their brutality, but most of the time, they try and perform it out of the view of prying international eyes.

And then every now and then, they get ‘caught in the act’. Here’s a member of the ‘most moral army in the world’ about to throw a flash bang grenade at a crowd gathered around a Palestinian ambulance, until he realizes he’s being filmed by a western journalist.

Israeli Teacher Arrested, Jailed For Facebook Posts Opposing Slaughter In Gaza

ISRAEL | NOVEMBER 23, 2023

Maya Barucha, a history and civics teacher from Jerusalem had his home ransacked by Israeli police before he was arrested and jailed for four days – all of it in solitary confinement.

His crime? He posted his opposition to the killing of Palestinian civilians on his personal Facebook page.

The interview above is with American media outlet Democracy Now! You can follow their coverage here.

All Gazans Are Combatants, Nuclear Strike On The Strip Is An Option, Says Israeli Government Minister

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL | NOVEMBER 6, 2023

Aimachi Eliyahu, pictured with fellow far-right extremist Itamar Ben-Gvir in Israeli parliament last year.

The New Arab reports:

An Israeli minister said on Sunday that using a nuclear weapon on Gaza is “an option” in Tel Aviv’s ongoing war on the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Amichai Eliyahu belongs to the far-right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party, led by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and has been the Minister for Heritage in the Israeli government since 2022. 

‘There are no non-combatants in Gaza,” Eliyahu told Radio Kol Berama as the death toll from Israel’s bombardment of Gaza nears 10,000 – including 3,900 children.

Asked if it was therefore permissible to launch a nuclear attack on Gaza, he replied: “that’s one way … that’s an option.”

Palestinian Reporter Finds Out Colleague Has Died While Live On Air

GAZA | November 4, 2023

BBC reports:

“A Palestine TV news anchor and a reporter broke down on air after learning their colleague was killed in an explosion in Gaza.

Mohammad Abu Hatab, a reporter for Palestine TV, died with members of his family in an Israeli strike on his home in Khan Younis, the broadcaster said.

Colleague Salman Al-Bashir learned about the killing while reporting live from outside Nasser Hospital.”

In just three weeks of fighting, at least three dozen journalists have been killed in Gaza by Israeli forces.

Launched in 2004, New Matilda is one of Australia's oldest online independent publications. It's focus is on investigative journalism and analysis, with occasional smart arsery thrown in for reasons of sanity. New Matilda is owned and edited by Walkley Award and Human Rights Award winning journalist Chris Graham.

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